Sorry about the lack of posts on the Earth Matters in the past couple of weeks. I had to take some time off to help warm bottles and change diapers with the arrival of my new daughter. I’m back and ready to blog.
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(Robert McLeroy/Express-News) A snout-nosed butterfly sits on lantana at the San Antonio Botanical Garden in July. Yep, the American snout butterfly is back. The swarms of winged critters that made a splash, or maybe a splat, around the area in July are back in force. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department biologist Mike Quinn said they […]
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It looks like the retail giant often criticized for not having a social conscience is making some big statements to the contrary. On the heels of its startling announcement that it will sell nearly 300 generic prescription drugs for $4 a pop, the company has announced a plan to help fight global warming by reducing […]
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We often hear about how air pollution can travel thousands of miles and impact communities a continent away. It’s probably kind of hard for most of us to picture. Here’s a good animation from NASA that illustrates a real life example. It’s from summer 2004, when forest fires in Alaska and northwestern Canada contributed to […]
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Lots of interesting news dealing with climate change the last few days. In Louisiana, the fear of rising seas has prompted an international panel of researchers to recommend diverting the Mississippi River to help build up the delta area with sediment. Of course, this is a role the river historically played until humans altered its […]
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You’ve probably noticed a story or two in the Express-News recently about the area’s problem meeting federal air quality standards for ozone, and ideas to remedy the situation. Basically, if San Antonio and surrounding areas don’t improve the air quality in the next year or so, the feds will step in with new rules that […]
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Hope you all saw the story in today’s Express News about the area’s struggles in meeting federal air quality requirements. If things don’t get better by the end of next year, the feds will mandate some changes in San Antonio and the surrounding counties to reduce ground level ozone, or smog. Among the mandates will […]
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No one knows for sure, but it looks like someone is killing stingrays in reaction to Steve Irwin’s recent death. As the Guardian reports, as many as 11 stingrays have been found dead and mutilated on Australia’s eastern coast since one of the species killed the much-loved Crocodile Hunter last week.
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I hope you all saw the story in today’s Express-News about City Councilman Roland Gutierrez’s new clean air plan. Gutierrez is the same official that pushed for the city’s new free hybrid parking program that roughly 150 people have signed up for. The plan, which goes by the name of Project CASA (Clean Air San […]
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British oil giant BP has been under heavy scrutiny since it revealed earlier this month that its oil lines in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, are severely corroded. Things got even hotter yesterday when the company confirmed it is being investigated for potentially manipulating oil markets. The allegations, outlined by British papers The Guardian and The Independent […]
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